On Sunday, amid their escalating protest demanding the apprehension of their federation chief over allegations of sexual harassment, a group of India's wrestlers, among them Olympic medallists Bajrang Punia and Sakshi Malik, found themselves detained by the police.

The wrestlers originally hit the street in January demanding action against Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) President Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, who has denied allegations of sexually harassing several female athletes.

The protest was withdrawn after Singh, also a member of Parliament from Prime Minister Narendra Modi's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, was stripped of all administrative powers by the sports ministry.

The wrestlers resumed their protest on April 23 demanding Singh's arrest and have since been camping near the new parliament building which Modi inaugurated on Sunday.

"They broke the barricades and didn't follow police directions," senior Delhi Police officer Dependra Pathak told local media.

"They broke the law, and that's why they were detained."

Malik, who won the women's 58 kg. freestyle bronze at the 2016 Rio Olympics, shared photos and video of the wrestlers being dragged away by the police.

"This is how our champions are being treated. The world is watching us," she tweeted.